Contentment and Christmas

Ever since my trip to Haiti earlier this year, words like "contentment" and "simplicity" keep echoing in my mind. I did a little post-trip processing in March, trying to make sense of living in the land of excess and being able to be content with much...which is a lot more difficult than it sounds. And here we are at Christmas--a time of year set aside to remember that God put on human flesh so He could dwell with us, walk with us, talk with us, die for us, redeem us, save us. How can we be discontent when He did so much for us? Yet, ironically, Christmas time is when the culture around us is screaming for us to be DIScontent...with last year's toys, with yesterday's clothing, with our supposed "lack." And you know what, I can easily find myself buying into that lie. There are many things I'd "love" to have. But those words--"contentment," "simplicity"--they keep coming back. What I think I need, I really don't. Paul's words to Timothy penetrate to the heart of the matter, "For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." (1 Timothy 6:7,8)

So this year, my family and I are practicing contentment. Because we DO have food and clothing. But there are those who don't. So maybe instead of filling my coffers fuller and fuller, the better choice would be to give what I don't need to others who do.

D6 Conference IMPRESSions--Day 2

I've been back from D6 Conference for about five days now, and I'm still processing all the wonderful input I received while there. God has been showing me some ways that I can start applying some things, fairly immediately, which excites me! Below, I'm going to share some of my highlights from the second (and final) day of the conference. It was another day filled to overflowing with great speakers, great insight, and great worship!

• I would be completely remiss if I didn't share what a blessing it was to have Shane and Shane leading us in worship. Such authenticity and intimacy with the Father. It was apparent that the Lord was their focus and their primary audience, and they had such a wonderful way of making you feel like you were worshiping with them...nothing even hinted at it being a performance or "show." My personal favorite song (which has stuck with me since I first heard it last week) is called "That's How You Forgive." Check it out here.

• Les and Leslie Parrot started out our morning on day two. Their primary focus was how to fight a good fight in marriage! It was a well-received presentation. :-) "Round 1" dealt with "Why we fight," and "Round 2" dealt with "How to Fight a Good Fight." There are two main reasons couples tend to find themselves in arguments: perceived threats (critical, judgmental, controlling, demanding) and perceived neglect (selfish, uncaring, uncommitted, neglectful, disengaged). When we feel that we are on the receiving end of any of those "threats," we can end up fighting. The "take-away" I got from that session was, "Conflict is the price we pay for a deeper level of intimacy."

• Rob Rienow was up next, and he took a look at ministry patterns and challenged us to consider whether or not we follow those ministry patterns that have been set up in the Bible. He's a proponent of having children (all ages) stay in the sanctuary for the entire service. He proposed that age is the only demographic we use to separate the Church family. (We don't separate based on salary, race, etc.) The big impression I got from Rob is something I'm still rolling around in my mind. The issue of kids who come to church without parents was raised, and he asked us as ministry leaders to consider getting the Christ-following families in your church at a point where they are well-focused and well-equipped, which will free up your time a little more to focus on outreach and evangelism. Our church has a number of wonderful outreach opportunities already in place, and there are many children and families involved. So I'm praying for clearer direction on how to proceed!

• Dave Stone had a great message about the three gifts you can give your kids: Value, Grace, Love. He had a number of statements that resonated with me:
• "We need to have concern for the Church of today so there's a Church of tomorrow."
• "Keep the dust off the high chairs." (He shared a story of a dying church whose high chairs were in storage and covered in dust...if you want a thriving church, keep the high chairs full!)
• An idea for a nighttime prayer from a parent to a child: "Oh God, I can't wait to see how you're going to use ___________ for your glory."
• "We get so wrapped up in the work of the Lord that we forget the Lord of the work."

• Robert Morgan shared some insight into what he calls a "Grace Cycle," something that often comes out of grief. He specifically related it to parents who might be dealing with a prodigal child in their lives. He authored a book called Prayers and Promises for Worried Parents.
• Pain
• Prayer
• Patience--everything has a built-in maturation process
• Peace--a heavenly carelessness knowing that God is in charge
• Praise--even when things are't like we want them

• The final session of the day and of the conference was from Dr. Timothy Paul Jones. He took a fascinating look at the History of Family Ministry in Five Drawings (You'll be glad you checked this out!) He also challenged us to look at the story our lives are telling. He also told us that the story of our ministries needs to be bigger than me and bigger than my ministry. "Jesus didn't die for my ministry, He died for the people in my ministry." I wrote this in my notes as my one big impression, "I'm tired of trying to write my own story." Ultimately, Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and if He's writing it, I can be assured that the story is going to be good!

D6 2013 IMPRESSions--Day One

I'm freshly returned from the D6 Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, and it was another home run kind of experience in my personal walk with the Lord as well as getting some great clarity for the professional side of my life in full-time ministry. This year's theme was "Impress", which looked at the verse from Deuteromony 6 which talks about the responsibility of adults to impress the commands of God on their children. Below, I have summarized the big IMPRESSions I got out of each session. It was so wonderful to get exposed to some speakers I've never heard of before as well as to have (in Deuteronomy fashion) a "repeating" of many things I have learned in the past.

• The first session was with Darrin Patrick. His focus was from Galatians 5 and 6...comparing and contrasting the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the flesh. It was a great way to kick things off, as he challenged us to be able to discern between the fruit of the Spirit and what he described as the fruit of our personality. Just because we are a certain way doesn't mean that God's Spirit can't have His way and make us more like Him. He shared three ways that fruit grows: holistically (the fruit of the Spirit is a "package deal"); internally (law can change behavior, but only the Spirit can change the heart); gradually (don't expect radical changes overnight); communally (God designed for us to be growing together.)  The real "bazinga" statement from him was, "Do you use your ministry as your righteousness?" Only JESUS can be our righteousness!
• Tim Kimmel was up next, and my biggest take-away from his session was this, "God has not called us to raise safe Christian kids; He's called us to raise strong ones." His son was somewhat "annoyed" during a prayer time prior to a mission trip. During the prayers, he said that everything was "prayed away" that would have required them to rely on God during the trip. We can't succumb to fear-based praying and parenting.
• Dr. James Dobson was a true delight to sit under.  What a phenomenal story teller. He shared the story of his family's legacy, dating back to his great-grandfather. A few quotes from him that have stuck with me: 
• "The culture is at war with your children for their hearts and minds."
• "The greatest thing I could do for my kids was to pray for them."
• "If you don't reach your children for Christ, you'll never see them again."
• "Nothing else matters if you don't reach your kids for Christ."
• Something new this year was a series of D6 Minis, which was a sort of rapid fire talks, each with a very specific focus. Of these, the two that stood out to me the most were from Lydia Randall and Megan Lacefield. Lydia spoke on the topic of busyness, which really resonated. One phrase from her has echoed repeatedly in my mind, "We are crazy not to do a Sabbath." She also pointed out that the Chinese character for busy is comprised of two images: heart + killing. Megan encouraged finding ways for ministries to work together within the church, and the big IMPRESSion from her talk was this statement, "Don't wait until kids are adults to believe they can make an impact."
• The final session on Day One was from Todd Wagner. The best way to summarize his topic is to present a few of his quotes that made an impact:
• When setting priorities in life, ask yourself this question, "What are the things that only I can do?"
• "Church attenders don't change anything; disciples do."
• "Your job is not to get people to come to you (or your church); it's to get them to come to Christ."
• "Is there darkness and decay in our country? There's never been a greater opportunity to be light and salt!"

Getting to Know Your Bible with the Word Cross App

I'm using this space to tell you about a really great app that my husband (an amazingly smart man!) has developed (right now for the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone, but soon coming to Android devices!). It's called "Word Cross" and is such an innovative way to interact with scriptures. If you enjoy crossword puzzles, you will undoubtedly enjoy this app!

Here are some ways that you can use it:

• To memorize scripture and quiz yourself.
• To challenge friends to games, as it's connected with the Apple Gaming Center.
• Print out puzzles for your kids or for your classroom.
• As a fun way to read through the Bible!
• It's also "native" in Brazil now, so if you have friends who live in Brazil, make sure to tell them about it!

Go to this link for more information and to download the Word Cross App.

Below are some screen shots to show you what Word Cross looks like and what some of its features are. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!

Choose words from a drop-down menu.

See the awards you have earned.

Great in landscape mode, too!

Keep track of your progress on the Gaming Center.

Each time you complete a puzzle, you have the opportunity to earn an award. Some of the awards are earned based on how fast you can complete a chapter, when you have worked through an entire book, when you complete a certain number of topics, and when you finish a puzzle without using any hints.

I'm also enjoying something new that my husband added--the topical option. You can choose from a large selection of topics (for example "faith", "family", "gossip", etc.) and work through verses in the Bible that are related to them. The interactivity of this app, as well as the active role you take as the user make Word Cross a tool that I'm sure you'll enjoy having at your fingertips!

The Junior High Factor

Junior High Students Rock!

I have over a decade of experience working with junior high students, and they continue to be my favorite age group to work with. They are a fascinating bundle of weird, maturity, silliness and seriousness...and I love them! :-)  For some reason, God has allowed my own junior high years to be indelibly marked in my mind, and I can easily bring back the memories and feelings of those years. Some of those memories are great, and others I would rather relegate to a world far, far away!

One thing that continues to bubble up in many formal and informal studies is that by the time a young person reaches those junior high years, WHO they are is pretty well established when it comes to their fundamental character. The Barna Group did a study a few years ago and discovered that over half of Christians will make a decision for Christ by the time they're 13. Once they get past the age of 18, the chances decrease. Now, I would never limit the capacity for the Holy Spirit to transform someone just because the statistics declare otherwise, but I think it's significant to note the importance of reaching children with the gospel...an authentic and understandable gospel...as early as possible, and demonstrating how to live that out in the world around them.

In my experience with junior high students, I found that there was an "uncanny" ability to predict the course that a student would take as they grew and became more independent based on who they were in 7th and 8th grade. Who they were in junior high became amplified as they grew and graduated and became a part of the "real world." Students who were pursuing Jesus in junior high are still close to Him and living for Him today. Students who were "playacting" the part of Christian in junior high saw no need to continue that charade as they grew older. And students who overtly thumbed their noses at all things Christ-centered continued on that path that has led to many difficult and challenging life situations.

Of the hundreds of students I've observed over the past decade, there have been a few who were far from the Lord in junior high and came into a relationship with Him in their older years. But those have been more the exception than the rule.

What's the bottom line? Parents, pastors, teachers, Sunday school leaders, youth leaders--you have a huge job and an awesome opportunity to shape the life of children, each with an eternal soul. I'm impassioned with giving children experiences early in their life that show them the importance of Who Jesus is, how much He loves them, and what a blast it is to live for Him! It's also a huge privilege to be an ambassador for Christ to young people who don't yet know Jesus. It's never too late to turn to Him!

Digital Dangers

Here I am, on my laptop, using the Internet, to tell you about digital dangers. Yes, I see the irony in that. :-) Today on the radio, Focus on the Family's daily broadcast had a panel of experts who were sharing findings from a variety of research that points to the increasingly noticeable issues being discovered in young people from the over-use of technology, smart phones, video games, etc. And they've even given a name to this new condition: "Digital Dementia." I don't know about you, but it's rather alarming that children are being "diagnosed" with a condition that is typically associated with senior citizens.

Check out this article from some research that's been conducted in South Korea (an area in the world especially connected to all things technology-related).

The Focus on the Family broadcast and the article are well worth the time to listen and read. If you have young children especially, please consider how much your children live a "virtual" life versus interacting with the world around them. Did you know the use of technology (especially at early ages) actually effects how children's brains develop? That's alarming to me. My husband, a software developer, discourages the use of technology in young children. Instead of downloading a coloring book app, just use a REAL coloring book and crayons. Revolutionary thinking, huh?

So, bottom line, examining your child's use of technology is something that needs to occur on a regular basis. Technology is not going away. The Internet is not going to get "friendlier" over time. Parents, your only option is to be aware.

Daily Bread

Kenyan woman and her "daily bread."

I recently did a children's message at church that went along with this line from the Lord's Prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread." It's really a profound thought to ponder...do we trust God for our daily bread. Or maybe a better question is, do we HAVE to trust God for our daily bread? I shared some photos from this website with the kids during the message. It's a great (and slightly disturbing) glimpse into what constitutes "daily bread" around the world. We live in such luxury and abundance compared to most of the rest of the world, don't we?

James said, in relation to faith being dead if there isn't action to accompany it, "Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?" (James 2:15-16) Those last few words get me every time..."what good is it?" We aren't blessed just to be blessed and store up more and more stuff for ourselves. I believe we are blessed to continue blessing others...to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

So how are you teaching this concept to your children? How are you teaching them that the world does not revolve around them? How are you expanding their worldview to realize that there are people who are hungry and hurting in the world and part of our job is to love them?

You know what I have discovered in the years I have worked with children? They are more than willing to share, to pray, and to reach out! They just need to be given tha
t opportunity.

Pray Like Jesus

Our church is embarking on a summer series called "Pray Like Jesus," and we are anticipating some wonderful fruit to come from this time together learning to pray in the same way that Jesus instructed His disciples. Parents at MSBC, here is some information you will need to know as we dive into this time together:

• Have each of your children bring a single subject notebook or drawing tablet along with crayons/colored pencils each week. (It would be fun if you made it “dedicated” for the summer series. I’ve attached the logo for the series, in case you’d like to also incorporate that in some way.) Each week the kids will be given an “assignment” to do during the message portion of the service which will be incorporated into the following week’s service. Be sure to come for all the details!
• Each month, our Sunday school has committed to $40 in support for the girls at Strong Tower Orphanage. We will still be collecting that offering during the summer. If you have anything to contribute, place that offering in an envelope marked “Sunday School STO” and it will get to the right place!
• We will be having communion on July 7th. Sometime this week, I encourage you to have a conversation with your child about what communion is all about. This blog post will help you with some ideas on how to have that conversation: http://shootsnrootsministry.blogspot.com/2013/01/kids-and-communion.html

Above all else, my prayer is that through this series you will find wonderful opportunities to talk with your children about prayer, to actually have great encounters of prayer with your family, and to continue to train your children in the way they should go.

God's Word in Our Heart

In church yesterday, we had several adults share a small part of their story about how they learned language (in celebration of Pentecost Sunday), and  a number of them remarked about the importance of Bible reading and scripture memorization at an early age. In fact one adult even had a little chart that her mother had made for her when she was three years old and memorizing Bible verses. She got to put a star on a crown for every verse memorized. Psalm 119:11 says,  "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Hiding God's word in our heart takes discipline and sometimes creativity! But the benefits are out of this world!

I want to introduce you to Seeds Family Worship and a really great method they have for memorizing scripture. You can check out their website and download a PDF of a Verse Memorization Checklist. And the really cool thing about each of the verses listed is that they coincide with a song that Seeds Family Worship has recorded which is word-for-word scripture. Music is a powerful way to remember things, and I love that Seeds has spent so much time coordinating all of these things. In fact, you can LISTEN ONLINE to get a taste of their great songs!

meBible App Review

With this post, I am excited to tell you about a really cool Bible app available as a free download for the iPad. The meBible Ultimate Research Bible app will totally change how you interact with scripture, and it even has some really great features that make you excited in new ways about digging into the Bible.  Here are just a few reasons why I think you will enjoy checking it out...

1. It has a terrific interface that allows you to "split" the screen, with the Bible on the top pane and your notes and/or Internet browser on the bottom pane. This makes it really easy and fun to find things like pictures and resources online and link them directly to a text that you may be studying.

2. There are loads of features that you can add once you have downloaded the app...things like commentaries, a Greek/Hebrew lexicon, Topical Bibles, and fun themes. Each of these items makes meBible more personalized and makes it feel more like "you."

3. And my favorite reason that meBible is so cool is because it was developed by my very own husband! Many hours of coding and thinking and praying have gone into putting this app in a category all its own. (And I'm not just saying that! If I wasn't married to the meBible creator, I still would count it as my favorite Bible app!) :-)

But don't just take my word for it, check out a recent review on iTunes:

"I'd give this 10 STARS if I could!  I just opened this Bible app for the first time & already love it. Firstly, because it's completely FREE.  Secondly, I love all the options - highlighting, adding my own notes, bookmarking. Thirdly & most important to me, are all the free foreign language translations.  Overall, I will use this app every day for hours & I'm very pleased with it. It looks great, the setup is user friendly, & I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of the additional tools once I figure them out."

You can go to iTunes and download it for yourself and give it a spin:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mebible-ultimate-research/id476441818?mt=8 

You can also check meBible's website for loads of great information:  http://mebible.info/ 

meBible connects the ancient truths of scripture with the modern amenities of the Internet right at our fingertips. Try it, I bet you'll like it!

Compassion Visit

During my March visit to Haiti, a definite highlight was the trip we were able to take into the mountains to the town of St. Raphael to visit with Olgentz and his family. Our youth group has been sponsoring Olgentz through Compassion International for the past year and a half, and it was a wonderful, over-the-top, surreal experience to get to meet in person this dear young man who has been a fixture in our youth group on Sunday nights by way of a picture on the wall.

Outside the Compassion Project

We first arrived at the Compassion project--the faith-based school Olgentz attends thanks to the Compassion funds. We got treated like royalty as we were the first Compassion sponsors to EVER visit this site! The staff came and was introduced to us, a feast of fried plantain, chicken, cake, salads, casseroles, and ice cold drinks was served to us, and we got a tour of the project site.

Left to right: our translator Bernard, Olgentz, me, Pastor Randall B., the Pastor who oversees this project, Lori G..

Walking the footpath to Olgentz's home

After a brief visit there, we all piled into the back of a truck and headed to Olgentz's home. Nearly a month later, I am still overwhelmed by the incredible hospitality that we received there. Olgentz's mother welcomed us into their home where we all squeezed around a table and were presented with ANOTHER feast with more ice cold drinks. They blessed us time and again for the ways that we have helped to provide for Olgentz. Such a humbling experience, and I find that words continue to fail me when it comes to telling about that experience.

Showing the family some pictures from our town.

Some lessons from my time with this most precious family?

Hospitality matters. Your house's condition does not. Relationships matter.

Loving people matters. "Stuff" is not important.

Jesus is quintessential to life.

Those are all very simple sentences and concepts, aren't they? You know what I'm finding, though? They are much more difficult to put into practice than they are to type out!

Part of our Compassion support has provided a pig for the family, and we were thrilled to see babies!

With Olgentz and his family in their sugar cane field.

As we left the sugar cane field and headed back to the truck to prepare to leave, I glanced back over my shoulder and saw the most beautiful sight: Olgentz's mother was standing there by herself, with her hands raised toward the sky, her eyes closed, and her mouth moving in prayer. In the midst of poverty and lack, she did not forget "from whom all blessings flow."  I want to be more like her...

Living in the Land of Excess

Will you indulge me a little post-Haiti-mission-trip-processing?  Thanks! I recently had the privilege of spending 5 days in Haiti, making new friends, seeing the countryside, and visiting a boy our youth group has been sponsoring through Compassion International (there will be a future blog post about that trip). The experience was so much more than I can even begin to put into mere words as it involves my feelings, my thoughts, my spirit...those parts of experiences that seem to be cheapened if you try to put them into black and white sentences and phrases.

As I have begun the process of "re-entry" back into normal life and normal routines, I'm not sure I can handle "normal" any more. One of the realizations I am sure of is that we live in a land of excess. Excess clothing. Excess food. Excess media. Excess opportunities. Excess stuff. Excess. Check out Jesus' words in Luke 12:13-21. He has some pretty specific things to say to people who make "excess" their goal in life:

     A man in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us.”  Jesus answered him, “Friend, who gave me the right to judge or to divide the property between you two?” And he went on to say to them all, “Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be.”
     Then Jesus told them this parable: “There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops.  He began to think to himself, ‘I don't have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do? This is what I will do,’ he told himself; ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store the grain and all my other goods. Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?’”   And Jesus concluded, “This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God's sight.”

Life in Haiti

For the past week, I've been contrasting the riches of the US with the riches of Haiti. When you look at material goods, the US comes out on top easily. But when you start looking at those things considered "rich in God's sight" I think Haitian believers have the edge. The brief experience I had in Haiti showed me in numerous ways how believers there depend on the Lord solely day in and day out for their needs. Complete and utter dependence. And you know what? They actually believe that God will take care of them! Not just a head knowledge, either...they truly believe it.

Can I be honest? It's been difficult this past week being bombarded with all that this land of excess has to offer. So much seems like such drivel when compared to what God would have us spend our time and resources on. How can we justify spending thousands on "entertainment" when every 5 seconds somewhere in the world a child dies from hunger? We sing songs to the Lord with lines like "Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause." The reality of that is penetrating my very being in ways that it hasn't before. If my heart breaks for the same things that God's heart breaks for, then my daily life needs to look a lot different. If all of my time and resources are spent for the Lord's Kingdom's cause, then my daily life needs to look a lot different.

Some of you are probably saying, "Yep, it's obvious she's just back from a mission trip. Give it a day or two."  Well, I'm determined that my five days in Haiti are not going to be a "flash in the pan."  I will share this line that I believe God impressed on my heart: "I don't feel that God is calling me to move to Haiti, but I do believe He is calling me to be moved BY Haiti."  May it be so, Lord.

Jesus IS King

When you think of Jesus, how do you envision Him? Do the innumerable "Sunday school pictures" play a slideshow in your mind's eye? Shoulder-length hair. Brown eyes. Robe and sandals. Or some variation of these characteristics. Over the past few years, my thinking has been challenged to consider Jesus as He IS, not as He WAS when He walked this earth.  He IS the risen Savior...right now...at the right hand of God the Father. Right now! Isn't that incredible?

Revelation 19:11-16 has an amazing depiction of what John saw as he got a glimpse into heaven.

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: 

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

THIS is Jesus, our Savior, our Redeemer, the Chief Cornerstone, Immanuel, the Living Water, the Bread of Life, our King. Honestly? My finite mind cannot conceive all of that. But one thing I know is that Jesus is worthy of my adoration and my whole-hearted devotion.

I have to wonder if we are doing a good job at making sure young people know who Jesus IS. In our families, do we ever "allow" Jesus to grow up beyond the baby in the manger? How would our families, our homes, our churches change if each believer started to truly recognize and worship Jesus as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords"? What does adoring Jesus look like in your life or in your homes?

Insulated or Isolated?

At the D6 Conference I attended last year, Fred Luter (Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans) made a statement that has stuck with me ever since. He said, "We can't isolate kids from the culture, but we can insulate them with God's Word." Isn't that a marvelous thought? Kids are going to grow up in the culture around us, and isolating them from everything is nearly impossible. Unless you lock them in their bedroom and board up the windows and don't allow any sort of electronic device to permeate the perimeter...but one day, they'll grow up and have to face the "big bad world", and will they be equipped? That's why I think what Pastor Luter said is brilliant...instead of putting our kids into isolation until Jesus returns, we as parents, grandparents, children's and youth ministers can work diligently at "insulating" the young people in our lives with the word of God.

Let's teach our kids how to handle disappointment and conflict in a biblical and godly manner. Let's teach them the importance of loving God with all that's in us and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Let's teach them the importance of mission and giving. Let's teach them what it means to live a righteous and holy life in love with a righteous and holy God.

Consider Jesus' words in His prayer on the night before He would be crucified:

"I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth."

Jesus definitely was not asking the Father to isolate His disciples...He was asking to insulate them, to keep them from the evil one, to sanctify them (to be set apart)...and this is all wrapped up, could we say "insulated", in the truth...God's word.

So, bottom line? Make sure your kids are well-insulated! Permeate their lives with the word of God (along with your own life!) Teach them what it means to wear the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). And most importantly, make following Christ a lifestyle that infiltrates every corner of life.

Pass the Faith

Perhaps one of the saddest phrases in the Bible is found in Judges 2:10. "And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD..." This is referring to the people of Israel who had an "on again, off again" type of relationship with the Lord, and it had apparently gotten to the point where one generation had completely died off, and the next generation did not know the Lord. Does that grieve you like it does me?

Those who know me know that I'm impassioned about making sure that the next generation DOES know the Lord, and you know whose responsibility that is? Yep, my generation's. Your generation's. Generational discipleship is how God designed for His commands and His character to be passed along. What a privilege we have to carry the message of God and of His Son to the children of today, so that they in turn will grow up to know the Lord and to pass along His message to the next generation.

You know something I realized? We're all influencing the next generation. The question then is HOW are we influencing? As Christ followers, are we encouraging the young people of today to live a life sold out for Jesus? Or are we teaching them how to succeed at being a mediocre Christian with no sacrifice and no pain? Are we teaching them that Jesus is worth EVERYTHING to follow? Or are we teaching them to hold onto the things of this life as more precious than anything Jesus could offer? Are we making disciples? Tough questions, aren't they?  Here's one more...

When our generation has died, will the next generation know the Lord?

Quiet Down!

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16)

Take a few seconds and let that sink in...

Isn't that a beautiful thought? This "withdrawing" was a habit of Jesus, something He did often, by Himself. Jesus is our model. So I have to ask myself...do I often withdraw to lonely places and pray? If Jesus found this to be a beneficial discipline in His life, I need to do the same. There's power in the solitude...when it's just you and the Lord. You can hear Him, you can sense His nearness, He helps make sense of all that's going on in your heart and mind and life.

Recently I came across this quote from Jim Elliot that has had me pondering: "I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, and crowds. Satan is quite aware of the power of silence." The world around us celebrates noise, hurry, and crowds...be more, do more, fill every spare minute! Jesus models something different. Instead of constant busyness and noise and crowds, what would it look like if you and I made withdrawing to lonely places and praying a part of our regular routine? Wouldn't our time in the crowds be much more effective? Wouldn't we be keener at hearing His voice through the noise? In the hurry, wouldn't we slow down to practice His presence?

What's this got to do with children's ministry or youth ministry or parenting?  EVERYTHING! God commanded adults to love Him, to know His commands, and impress them on our children. (Deuteronomy 6) In order to know God, I have to spend time with Him, I have to get to know Him, I have to learn to recognize His voice. I can't give away what I don't have.

A Little Birdie Told Me...

Twitter. Tweet. A few years ago, those two words had very different definitions and connotations than they do in our tech-centric culture. I'm on Twitter, and I've found it to be an amazing tool when it comes to keeping current in ministry trends and staying in touch with what's happening "out there" in the church ministry world. It's wonderful to be able to hear from great leaders and thinkers in the Christian realm and stay current, all the while being tucked away here in northern Maine.

That being said, I've recently observed an entirely other "dark side" of the Twitterverse.  It seems that many teens (and preteens) are migrating from Facebook updates to Tweets. (Or they're "living" in both worlds.) And the disturbing thing? The person they represent on Twitter may be VERY different from the person on Facebook or in "real life", usually for the worse. Vulgarity, promiscuity, perversity, profanity...these are some of the words to describe what I've noticed. In fact, here's a personal Tweet of mine from yesterday, January 30: "Twitter seems to be becoming the new "Secret Life of the American Teenager". :-/ "

So, parents--are your kids on Twitter? If you say no, are you sure? Who are your kids following on Twitter? Who is following your kids? These are all individuals who will influence and impact your child and his or her worldview. It's worth it to pay attention to their online habits and make sure you're "in the know."

Now You See Me...

Snapchat Icon

...now you don't! That could well be the byline for a relatively new app called Snapchat (available for iPod touches, iPads, and Android devices). The premise of the app is that you take a picture of yourself, send it to a friend, and it disappears in seconds, never to be seen again. If you look up its rating on the App Store, you'll find it's suggested for people 12 and older for these reasons: Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor; Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References; Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes; Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content or Nudity.

Now a picture app seems relatively harmless, right? Think again. Apparently a major use of this app has been for sexting, that "practice" of taking sexually provocative pictures and sending them to someone else. You have probably heard the horror stories of people who have sent inappropriate pictures of themselves to "friends" only to see them plastered in the school hallways or on Facebook. Snapchat takes away that concern. Now you can take a picture, send it along, and determine how many seconds it can be viewed. According to a recent article, something like 50 million "snaps" are sent each day!

So what's the bottom line for parents? Make sure you know what your kids are doing online. What apps are they using? What are the ratings of those apps? (Remember, these are apps that are rated according to secular standards.) How are they using these apps? How do you monitor their online behavior? It's not an easy job by any stretch, but it's certainly worth it to make sure you're doing all you can to be "in the know" about your child's online safety.

Web Wisdom

Over the past couple of weeks, my brain has been inundated with a variety of posts, forwards, and emails with erroneous information that was gleaned from the "all-knowing" Internet. This may be stating the obvious, but just because something is in print online does not make something true. Verify through a variety of sources. Check out websites like www.snopes.com which do the fact-checking for you. If something sounds a bit off-center, it probably is. Don't be deceived.

I've also come to realize that I can basically find information online to prove my point, even if my point is incorrect or invalid. Between PhotoShop and blog posts and spoof sites like "The Onion" and "The Spoof" whose sole purpose is to make things up, wisdom has got to be the byword when surfing the web. If I want to "dig up dirt" on an individual, I'll find it. If I want to find unflattering pictures of celebrities, I'll find it. But it doesn't mean that it's true!

Jesus said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16) There are many "wolves" on the internet...our job is to be shrewd, wise, prudent.

Lights, Camera, ACTION!

Over the past few days, I've been pondering the significance of the word "serve" in the life of a Christ follower. Scripture tells us that Jesus did not come to be served to but to serve. (Mark 10:45) If you do a word search in scripture for the word "serve", you'll come up with MANY verses that talk about the importance of serving the Lord, as well as each other. I love when the words of the Bible are simple and to the point, like this verse from Paul's pen in Romans 12:10-11, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." 

Those last three words are where my eyes landed when reading this passage this time around--"serving the Lord." That implies something that is ongoing, not once and done. There are myriad ways to serve the Lord...in our churches, in our homes, in the marketplace, in our neighborhoods, etc. etc. etc. My prayer is that families instill this virtue of service into their children from an early age. If you have children, you know that  they can easily default to the "it's all about me" mode of living. Getting them involved in serving others helps to battle the bent toward self-centeredness. The Christian life is about ACTION! And that action is generally aimed away from ourselves.

Our church is involved with a wonderful outreach called Adopt-A-Block of Aroostook, and this has proven to be a great way for families to minister together. Each time we gather, there are families with children who are participating...helping to pack food bags, helping to clean up, helping to load vehicles, helping to deliver items to people's homes...all the while keeping the focus on someone besides themselves.

How do you help your children love and serve others? How do you teach them that they are not the center of the universe? Leave a comment with your input...it's always great to hear how other families are navigating the waters of raising their children.

Kids and Communion

Depending on what church you attend, your children may have an opportunity to participate in communion. I encourage parents to remind their children that communion is not a mid-service snack, but it signifies something very important that we as Christ followers celebrate as we remember the sacrifice of Jesus in order to forgive our sins. Below is a great little devotion written by a mom that I came across some time ago on www.SundaySchoolNetwork.com. It may be something you're able to implement in your family as you help your children better understand what communion is all about.

This is what I do for my kids:  We read 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 (sometimes the kids read depending on who's there that morning). We discuss it using these questions:

What was Jesus doing?
What was he saying to the disciples?
What are we to remember?

Then I discuss three things communion is to remind us of: 

1. Jesus' death and resurrection. 
2. Unity (Being together as one body [of Christ], mind, and spirit) 
3. And Jesus' return (coming back for us!) 

Then we make careful note of v.27-29

We discuss something simple like, we shouldn't have bad feelings about someone because of what he or she did or didn't do to/for us. I give the kids a chance to make sure they are not holding any offenses (once a little boy went next door to the nursery to hug his little brother and forgive him).

I also make them realize the "bread" and "cup" is not candy--they are not taking it because they are hungry or will love the taste. We only do it because Jesus asked us to remember Him.

This is another great way to make "faith at home" a reality!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Who doesn't have a cell phone these days, right?! Five year olds to fifty year olds, everyone "needs" a cell phone. iPhone. Android. Smart phones. Not-so-smart phones. They're everywhere! In the car, at school, at home, in the grocery store, in the bathroom! So what's a parent to do to make sure their child is safe and responsible in using this device? 

First of all, I'm a proponent of having a preset age that your child knows he or she will be able to look into having a cell phone. I also encourage parents to decide if they want to get their kids a smart phone or just a "plain vanilla" model that doesn't connect to the Internet. 

Secondly, I love this idea that I recently discovered on the Huffington Post website. It's a contract that a pretty savvy mom drew up for her 13-year-old son who just earned the privilege of having a cell phone. In order to have a new phone, he had to comply with all 18 points...non-negotiable. 

Here are the 18 points she included in the contract:

1.It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?

2. I will always know the password. 

3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mom" or "Dad." Not ever.

4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30 p.m. every school night and every weekend night at 9:00 p.m. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30 a.m. If you would not make a call to someone's land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.

5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It's a life skill. *Half days, field trips and after school activities will require special consideration.

6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen, you should be prepared.

7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay out of the crossfire.

8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.

9. Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself.

10. No porn. Search the web for information you would openly share with me. If you have a question about anything, ask a person -- preferably me or your father.

11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.

12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts. Don't laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear -- including a bad reputation.

13. Don't take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.

14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO (fear of missing out).

15. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.

16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.

17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.

18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You and I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.

So, do you employ a similar idea in your own home? Is this something you would be able to implement? How would you modify this contract to include some "faith at home" values? I'd love to hear from you!